William Pitt Ballinger: Texas Lawyer, Southern Statesman, 1825-1888 (Barker Texas History Series) [Paperback]

John Moretta (Author)

Book Description

Series: Barker Texas History Series | Publication Date: January 26, 2004

Few people have played a more important role in the history of Texas than William Pitt Ballinger. Though not as well known as legendary figures Stephen F. Austin or Sam Houston, Ballinger is one of those individuals whose behind-the-scenes life had a major impact on the events of his time. This thoroughly researched and engagingly written biography brings Ballinger to life as one of the most complete men of his time: lawyer, soldier, public servant, civic leader, author, editorialist, naturalist, education reformer, and bibliophile. In his long and illustrious career as a lawyer, Ballinger was usually the picture of calm and confidence, but on the morning of April 21, 1881, he found it difficult to maintain his composure as he awaited a conference with Jay Gould, the legendary "robber baron" of the Gilded Age, who had written Ballinger just six days earlier "to obtain the best legal advice I can." After four hours of consultation, Gould left Ballinger's office with the legal opinion he sought and a bill for $2,500. Gould was looking for "a lawyer with great ability and nerve," and he later remarked dryly that Ballinger's insightful opinion convinced him of his ability, and that the size of the bill convinced him that Ballinger had the nerve. Jay Gould was just one of the many significant figures who befriended or worked with Ballinger: Daniel Webster, William Seward, Albert Sidney Johnston, Jefferson Davis, Samuel Colgate, and William Tecumseh Sherman, to name but a few. Within Texas, Ballinger's list of friends and acquaintances read like a "Who's Who" of the mid-nineteenth century: Sam Houston, Michel Menard, Samuel May Williams, William Marsh Rice, and Francis Lubbock, among others. His brothers-in-law, Guy Bryan and Supreme Court Justice Samuel Miller, were both instrumental in getting Ballinger nominated to the Texas Supreme Court and to the Supreme Court of the United States. The reserved Ballinger declined both opportunities. Ballinger served Texas in a number of areas, from helping make Galveston the state's premier antebellum city to devoting his service to the Confederacy (although he had been a staunch Unionist). After the war, he helped negotiate Texas' surrender and played a key role in the drafting of the state's 1876 constitution. But Ballinger's life was not just about the law; it was about living life to the fullest. He was an intense, driven man, devoted to his family, his law practice, his nation, and his beloved state. In Ballinger's fascinating life and career we see reflected some of the most important issues of his era, including secession, slavery, corporations, and the law. The social, political, and cultural climate of Texas, the South, and the nation are revealed through the life, eyes, and mind of this remarkable, articulate man whose life spanned much of the nineteenth century. JOHN MORETTA received his Ph.D. in history from Rice University. He is professor of history at Central College, Houston Community College, and teaches at the University of Houston.

Editorial Reviews

Review

". . . Moretta . . . spans all of the critical issues of mid-nineteenth century history, in Texas and in the nation." -- Eric H. Walther, Associate Professor, University of Houston, author of The Fire-Eaters (1992) and The Shattering of the Union: America in the 1850s (1994)

". . . a significant scholarly accomplishment that illuminates the major events and issues of Ballinger's era." -- John B. Boles, Editor, Journal of Southern History

"William Pitt Ballinger has been eminently well served by his biographer, John Anthony Moretta." -- Stanley Siegel, University of Houston

About the Author

JOHN ANTHONY MORETTA received his Ph.D. in history from Rice University. He is professor of history at Central College of the Houston Community College System, and he teaches at the University of Houston.

Product Details

• Paperback: 348 pages
• Publisher: Texas State Historical Assn; New edition edition (January 26, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0876111991
• ISBN-13: 978-0876111994
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,520,461 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars William Pitt Ballinger, November 4, 2003

By 

David S. Pettus (Houston, Texas United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: William Pitt Ballinger: Texas Lawyer, Southern Statesman, 1825-1888 (Barker Texas History Center Series) (Hardcover)

Moretta has illuminated and obscure but imporant figure in Texas history. William Pitt Ballinger Was one of the most active and imporant men in Texas legal circles in the mid-ninettenth century. He left a very significant body of papers both personal and legal which are housed in three archives in Galveston, Houston and Austin, Texas. Ballinger practiced a wide range of law but was best known for his Supreme Count appeals in both the Texas and United States Supreme Courts and for representing railroads. Ballinger was widely respected which led him to be designated as the man to obtain pardons for Confederate officials and soldiers after the Civil War. His life and papers deverve more attention. Moretta has brought Ballinger to light after too many years of obscurity. A very important book in Texas legal and business history.